[Image: Dumisani Ntshangase / Facebook]
A British Airways flight which departed Cape Town just before 7 PM on Wednesday had to turn back three hours into the flight after smoke was reported in the cockpit.
The aeroplane, an Airbus A350, made a safe landing around 10 PM after turning back over Namibia.
JP Smith, mayoral committee member responsible for safety and security for the City of Cape Town, posted about the incident on his Facebook page:
“Drama Unfolded at Cape Town Airport! This evening, our emergency services were put to the test at Cape Town International Airport. An Airbus A350, nearly 2 hours into its journey to London, radioed in with an emergency due to smoke filling the cockpit. The pilots swiftly turned the British Airways flight 58 plane around and headed back to Cape Town, where the airport’s emergency response teams were ready and waiting.”
Smith said City of Cape Town‘s Fire & Rescue was called in to “support the ‘phase 2 emergency response’, with 4 of our major pumps on standby. Fortunately, the pilots were able to shut down the engines and fuel supply after landing on the runway, and the plane was escorted to a parking area where passengers waited to disembark safely.”
Smith added: “Our Fire & Rescue resources will remain on support until the phase 2 emergency is declared complete.”
According to Daily Maverick, the Latest Sightings Cape Town Int’l Airport Facebook group claimed the aeroplane had suffered a fuel leak and that the N2 highway had been temporarily shut down for the landing, but DM could not confirm this.
[Source: Daily Maverick]
